Use-after-free in Linux kernel mac80211 mesh fast transmit path
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
The Linux kernel mac80211 wireless stack, in its mesh networking code from 6.4 onward, can free a mesh path while a fast transmit cache entry still points to it. The cache stores raw path pointers, and a new entry can be inserted after the cache was flushed during path deletion. The result is a use-after-free.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: fix mesh fast xmit path deletion UAF mesh_fast_tx_cache() stores raw mesh_path pointers. Path deletion flushes the cache and then frees the path with kfree_rcu(), but a lookup that already holds the path can insert a new cache entry after the flush. The cache then points at freed memory. Set MESH_PATH_DELETED before flushing, and skip inserting a cache entry if the path or MPP path is already deleted. Check this under the cache walk lock so it is ordered with the flush. Use WRITE_ONCE() for the deletion flag updates because the cache check reads flags without taking state_lock.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Update the Linux kernel to 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10 or 7.3, or to a later release of the branch you run.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 7 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5
Timeline
- 2026-10-18 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98699
- 2026-10-18 Alias added: GHSA-5j8p-334x-vh85
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-21 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@ebb7cba623d38733d33d79a8c7442f5ea04c0fb0 · CNA
- 2026-10-21 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-10-23 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-23 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ebb7cba623d38733d33d79a8c7442f5ea04c0fb0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0117f1aa189495e6f1ff608681678817995aee39
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/128e800a41270ab197b1cc8043637a2924865608
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/93da3ec938bfdcfb3899428f04c6d0c56fe32952
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ee3aadc43ea69d98f666431e787137ac0badbb85
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Sources
- CVE-2026-98699 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98699 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-5j8p-334x-vh85 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98699 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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